Pocket Life

Photo courtesy of Tracy Brown Photography

Fowl Play

SANDHILL CRANES ARE A TRIP WORTH TAKING

It was dusk and in the distance I saw birds in fl ight. I couldn’t guess their numbers, but as they came closer, I knew there were many hundreds. The unique trumpet sound of sandhill cranes grew louder as they glided into the fl ooded fi elds off Interstate 5. I was mesmerized and wondered, what took me so long to see this?

Last month, I spent a few hours at the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve with my neighbor, Jane Adams. Adams, former executive director for the California Park and Recreation Society, is a volunteer docent with the sandhill crane tour program operated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“I got hooked on these cranes after my fi rst bus tour of Woodbridge,” Adams says. “That was 17 years ago. It was a beautiful sight, seeing thousands

CM

By Corky Mau Pocket Life

Jane Adams Photo by Aniko Kiezel

Casanya Ursery Photo by Aniko Kiezel Why Catricala Real Estate?

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of birds in the sky against the orange glow of the sunset.”

Sandhill cranes have migrated to the Central Valley for thousands of years. Two subspecies, greater and lesser, travel to our delta wetlands. They arrive in September and depart in early March. It’s estimated that perhaps 8,000 cranes winter near Sacramento.

Besides the Woodbridge Reserve (also known as Isenberg Sandhill Crane Reserve), other spots to view these birds include the Cosumnes River Preserve, Staten Island south of Walnut Grove and Merced Wildlife Refuge.

The cranes congregate in marshes that contain rice, corn, wheat and barley. It’s the perfect spot to roost after a journey that starts in Alaska.

You can pull off I-5 to view the cranes. But going on a docent-led tour is more educational. You will learn about crane behavior and see other wintering waterfowl. More importantly, you can view cranes on gated, private lands managed by the state.

Many docents are members of local Audubon chapters. They are avid birders. “I absolutely love being a docent. I enjoy seeing the joy and wonderment in people’s eyes as they watch the cranes fl y into our delta waters,” Adams says.

Sunset tours with docents take place every weekend through the end of February. To sign up, call (209) 2343435 or visit wildlife.ca.gov/regions/3/ crane-tour. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to get Adams as your guide.

Sandhill cranes have migrated to the Central Valley for thousands of years. Two subspecies, greater and lesser, travel to our delta wetlands.

LIFE PRINCIPLES

“How to Build a Boat” is a story about four best friends who set out to build a boat and learn four key life principles: Be a good human. Own it. Always be collaborating. Think big.

These goals are the mantra for Unite Us, a tech group that connects health care and social service providers, and employs author and Pocket resident Casanya Ursery.

I met Ursery several years ago when she worked for City Councilmember Rick Jennings. Her current duties involve coordinating health care networks for underserved communities.

“Although this children’s book was inspired by my work at Unite Us, I believe that these are great principles for anyone at any age,” Ursery says. “This was a dream project for me. The pandemic and upheaval of the past two

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years made me realize that I had the time to tackle a long-lost dream—write children’s books.”

“How to Build a Boat” is available in paperback and Kindle formats on Amazon.

NEIGHBOR MEETUPS

Lina Lee and her family moved to Greenhaven during the pandemic. Formerly a resident of Natomas, she didn’t waste time immersing herself into our community. Last May, she posted a message to Nextdoor asking, “Ready to socialize? Who wants to walk?” People responded.

Now a walking group meets weekly to walk the Pocket Canal. Lee has expanded activities to include Asian cooking classes and potluck game nights. If you want to join, email Lee at smiling4lina@gmail.com.

Corky Mau can be reached at corky. sue50@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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